Kobe Bryant’s Final Tweet Was Congratulating LeBron James on Passing His All-Time Points Total

Kobe Bryant's last tweet before his tragic passing was a tribute to LeBron James.

The 41-year-old passed away on Sunday (Jan. 26) morning in a helicopter crash. The night prior, he had sent a congratulatory tweet to James.

On Saturday (Jan.l 25), James surpassed Bryant's record on the NBA's all-time scoring list while he played the forward position for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Philadelphia 76ers.

"Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames," Bryant tweeted. "Much respect my brother." He used a muscle emoji and the hashtag #33644 for the number of points that James needed to beat his record for the third scorer in the history of the NBA.

Bryant was the second-highest-paid NBA player before he retired in April 2016. During his career, he won two Olympic gold medals for men's basketball and won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The cause of the helicopter crash and the subsequent fire are being investigated. Nine people, including Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna "GiGi" Marie Onore, died in the crash.